


Hold my Hand

by pylades



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-15
Updated: 2015-10-15
Packaged: 2018-04-26 12:20:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5004604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pylades/pseuds/pylades
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You can do anything. You’re Katherine freakin’ Plumber, babe.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hold my Hand

**Author's Note:**

  * For [writetheniteaway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writetheniteaway/gifts).



It’s been almost four hours. Four hours! The books and youtube videos warned them that a first birth could take a long time, for sure, but he hadn’t expected this. Katherine, though, Katherine was probably expecting this. Her gynecologist sent them home with a book list for first time parents and they’d read everything on the list, but Katherine had gone beyond that. She’d scoured the internet for blogs and forums, interviewing (interrogating? Definitely not just chatting like a normal person) other young mothers. He knew some of the stories were grim, but she’d kept up a positive outlook. But after four hours hooked up to a ton of machines and every nurse and student nurse in New York sticking their head between your legs … well, the most positive outlook couldn’t last that long.

He can’t imagine what she’s going through right now. Her face is red and soaked with sweat (not perspiration, sweat) and every time a nurse cheerfully prompts her to move, to breathe, to push (and then not to push, what the friggin’ hell), he sees an expression cross her face that usually only appears during their Sunday night dinner with the Pulitzers. The “I’m gonna rip my dad’s head off and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine” look.

He’s starting to worry about the nurses. And does their insurance cover Katherine attacking one? That’s the question.

Late afternoon brings another shift change and another nurse with a clipboard, but when this one finishes checking the monitors, she gives Katherine a big, bright smile.

“You’re so close, Mrs. Kelly! I want you to get ready to push aga –“

And Katherine finally breaks. She presses her face to Jack’s wrinkled tee-shirt, a choked sob bursting forth. “I’m tired – I’m so tired.”

“Hey, hey, hey.” He pulls away, just enough so that he can see her face. “You can do this, Ace. You’re the strongest person that I know and you’ve just gotta be strong a little longer.”

“It hurts so much – I can’t do it any more, Jack, I’m done, I’m DONE.” Her agitation rises and so does her voice (and definitely her blood pressure, because the monitor starts beeping at them).

“You can do anything. You’re Katherine freakin’ Plumber, babe.” Jack reaches for her hand and unclenches it, frowning at the marks her nails have left on her sweaty palms. “And you’re not doin’ it alone. So hold my hand, all right?”

He’s held her hand so many times over the past eight years. Walking to class together, cuddling in bed, arguing over unnecessary groceries while shopping. To comfort her when Joe was being a dick or to comfort him when everything was falling apart around him. And now he’s - holy crap - holding her shaking hand while she focuses all of her energy on bringing their son into the world. It’s weird and awesome.

She nods slowly, tears still leaking from her eyes, but Katherine grasps his hand tightly. "Let’s do this thing.”

**Author's Note:**

> A "hold my hand" prompt, written for writetheniteaway.


End file.
